Their Broken Bond
by ImDoingPeachy
Summary: Rescuing Callie hadn't gone near as expected. She'd quit, Marie had sunk into depression, Agent 4 was left with trauma and now it's two years later with nothing to show for it all. But things are about to change, as Marie finally has enough and does something foolish. Now laying in a hospital bed, her entourage has to pick up the pieces of those events. Warning: Mention of suicide.
1. Chapter 1

Their Broken Bond

**Author's Note : Hello guys! Welcome to my first fanfiction! It took me a while to decide if I really wanted to write and publish something, but the clear lack of stories that focus majoritarily on the Squid Sisters pushed me to give it a try. Honestly, they're by far my favorite characters in the splatoon universe, I find them so interesting both individually and as a pair. Such a shame that there is so little content on them. So I decided I should do it myself. "Be the change you wish to see" and all that, right? I apologize in advance for any spelling error and the likes that might be present in this fic. This was not Beta'ed, and english is far from my main language, so yeah. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! I'm gonna include another AN at the end of this chapter to explain several things that I feel like I need to, or at the very least should, explain.**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Splatoon, even though I wish I did. It is the property of Nintendo.**

Marie successfully sniped the Hypnoshades off Callie's face. _With this, we can turn things around!_ "Now Agent 4! While Callie is stunned! Make DJ Octavio Pay!"

However, DJ Octavio was already coming back for another round.

"Time to turn the tables! Spicy speed mode!"

The Octobot II dashed to the side with a speed that surprised the Agents.

"He's fast! Watch out for his dash punch!"

_He may be faster, but he's still just as predictable_, Agent 4 thought as he quickly used his Hero Shot to ink the ground and get out of the way of danger while also reflecting the Octobot's fists back.

"Agent 4, keep it up! I'm gonna sing from here!"

This cycle continued on for a while. Agent 4 dodged another spinning fist, and reclaimed the center of the area, covering it in green ink, deciding to wait for Octavio's next move. Meanwhile, Callie and Marie were engaged in a singing contest, with Marie trying to reach out to her cousin with her music. With the glasses off, it seemed Callie was fighting the remnants of the brainwash.

"WAKE UP, CALLIE!"

"Hhhuugh…"

Eventually, Agent 4 expertly deflected yet another fist back the the Octobot II, finally sending DJ Octavio flying over the edge and back down to the ground.

"Octavio's down! Get him, Agent 4!"

Agent 4 shot DJ Octavio who was sent back flying to the Octobot from the force of the splatting.

"My… My Head…"

"The low tide ink is working!" Marie noticed "Callie, please! Come back to your senses already!".

She went to retrieve her radio to play the remixed Spicy Calamari Inkantation she had prepared for this, hoping it would finally get through to her. Though, it would prove to be useless as Callie finally got herself back together and stopped clutching her head, coming back to her senses. She opened her eyes and looked straight at Marie. Her face settled in a calm expression, however, at this moment, her eyes reflected an underling anger and hatred. Marie, who was fiddling with the radio, hadn't yet noticed her cousin and was about to hit the play button, when her cousin's voice interrupted her, shocking her.

"I'm fed up with this."

"Huh?"

"I'm not coming back, Marie."

"C-Callie ? What do you mean?"

" I'm sick of you, Marie. I'm sick of having to put up with your constant insults and bullying on live TV, of your superior attitude, like you know everything, like you're so great! I'm through with you."

" Callie! Callie, please! I never meant any of that, it was for the show! I'm so sorry, please! I love you! Please forgive me!"

"It's a little late for apologies, don't you think? The Squid Sisters are done. I quit. Finish it, Octavio. I don't care what happens to them." And with that, Callie superjumped away, leaving behind a stunned audience, and a tearful Marie.

"Wait Callie, please listen to me! Please! Callie! CALLIE!" Marie fell on her knees, crying openly. She couldn't believe her ears. Never had she thought that her cousin took her seriously, that her words would hurt her this deeply. That this was all her doing all along.

"Hahaha! This is the best! Finally, I will get my revenge!" DJ Octavio cackled gleefully. The Squid Sisters were separated forever, the octolings will not leave his ranks anymore, and he could deal the finishing blows to the remaining agents himself right here to ensure they never got in his way again. His dream would come to fruition. Brainwashing Callie had proved to be the best move he could have made.

The building hurt, anxiety and fear she felt in the months that followed Callie's squidnapping, along with the pressure of her fame and the guilt she felt for her and her cousin's straining relationship before that, and now the despair she felt at Callie's words, and her anger towards Octavio for his actions. It all came together within her and imploded. Marie felt herself completely lose it. At this moment, she saw red.

"This is YOUR fault! Callie is like that because of your brainwashing isn't she? You're going to PAY!". "Sheldon! Get me the rainmaker out now!" She yelled. She would put an end to everything herself.

"W-wait, are you sure? This could be dangerous for everyone here, it's still heavily unstabl-"

"I said NOW!"

"A-Alright! I'll get it ready for you."

At the mention of the rainmaker, a _modded, unstable version_ at that, Octavio started to pale " Wait! You said rainmaker?! You can't seriously be thinking about destroying this entire plac-"

Marie cut him off, telling Agent 4 to retreat to the flying truck. He was shocked by what he just heard, however.

"To do what?! What about all the octolings here?! Marie!" _this is getting completely out of hand!_

"I'll finish it! Get back, Agent 4!"

Agent 4 was about to protest, but Marie had already gotten a hold of the rainmaker and built up an immensely powerful shot. As she aimed at a fleeing Octavio and got ready to shoot, Agent 4 had no choice but to superjump to the truck as fast as he could to not get caught in the incoming blast.

"It ends now!"

She released the shot.

It hit the Otcobot II straight on, creating an immense explosion, engulfing the entire area.

The battle was over, and they had won. But, the victory was bittersweet.

…

_It's been over a year since_, Marie thought. She was currently in her dressing room backstage, getting ready for her concert. _Her last concert_, she mentally added.

If she had to describe how she felt after the battle with DJ Octavio in one word, it would be miserable.

The NSS had returned to Octo Canyon, imprisoning the Octarian leader in his snow globe again. Callie, true to her words, had not come back with them. Instead, she had made an announcement that she would be pursuing her solo career, officially splitting from Marie, releasing along with it a remixed version of Bomb Rush Blush, her solo hit (and Marie could never get that tune out of her nightmares, it was the same one she had sung during the battle with DJ Octavio after all) that once again catapulted her all the way to the top, after her 2 long years of absence. She got opportunitites to appear in various films and TV shows all over the world, went on several solo tours, and released a whole bunch of new songs. When asked in an interview about her continued absence and her not performing along with Marie again, she had said that « There were some personal things that we had to take care of, both Marie and I. As about why I'm not performing with her again… We had a fall out due to creative differences, and we will not be performing together again. ». Of course, it was all a lie. Though, Marie had decided to go along with that same excuse when she was asked about it. They couldn't reveal that the octarians were behind Callie's disappearance without it having severe consequences, and there was no use trying to refute what Callie had said and stir unnecessary drama that would probably ruin both of their careers.

Well, not that Marie minded much about her own career. She didn't care about many things these days.

At first, she had been unconsolable. The overwhelming guilt she felt from Callie's words drowned her and she couldn't even leave her room for a many weeks. Eventually though, she was contacted by her manager. He couldn't keep delaying the planned releases, and they were running out of material. She was needed for new rehearsals. Faced with this, she managed to convince herself somewhat. _You can't just throw away everything you worked so hard for, Marie. Not like this. Wasn't this supposed to be your life? _

Faced with this choice, she managed to be convinced to try again. It took a while, but eventually she excused herself to her manager and her staff, telling them she just needed a small break, that she was fine. Of course, she couldn't actually tell them what was going on. She went on many tours and released her own set of new songs. However, it was just a façade.

Inside, Marie kept sinking deeper and deeper into depression. Her thoughts always kept going down the same road : that everything was her fault, what a terrible family she had been to Callie, who was her cousin, her best friend, her anchor in life, who always did everything for her, who always was there for her when she needed it, _until she wasn't_ and Marie couldn't bear it. Everywhere she looked, everything she did, it was always a reminder of Callie's absence and before long, she grew tired of her work. It only brought her pain, there was no point to it without Callie there.

She soon realised that this could be said about her entire life. There was only pain and misery, and she grew tired of it all.

_But no more_, she thought. _No more_.

She had thought about this for a while, and had brought it up to her manager. After discussing long and hard about it, they had reached an agreement.

After this concert, she was going to retire. There would really be no more Squid Sister, no more Marie the Idol, no more… Marie.

"After this, I'll… finally be…", she whispered to herself as she eyed a small bottle full of white pills hidden in her purse.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Tired golden irises looked back at her.

"Heh. I look terrible. I kida let myself go. I lost some weight as well… Not that it matters. Not anymore."

A knock came at her door. It was Agent 3.

"Marie, are you ready? They say preparations are finished, you're to go on stage in 10 minutes." He called to her.

"Yes I'll be there, thanks."

"No worries. Do your best out there. I'll be waiting for you. Have fun."

She sighed and got ready.

* * *

A magenta inkling opened the door to her appartment, throwing her stuff inside before plopping on the couch with a big sigh.

"Phew, I'm exhausted. That's another good day of work done."

As she was relaxing on her couch, she decided to turn on the TV. While she was mindlessly skimming through channels to find something interesting, however, she came across a white-tentacled squid dressed in a black dress with three green stripes on the front singing and dancing on her screen.

_Marie…_ Callie frowned. It seemed her concert was reaching its end. Just the thought of her cousin was enough to send her in a bad mood…

Not that she could help it.

She shook her head. " No, don't think about that right now." But as she was about to switch channel again, something her cousin said caught her attention.

"Everyone, I have a… big announcement to make."

_What could Marie be wanting to say ? _Callie wondered. Her curiosity eventually got the best of her and she paid attention to her screen again. She knew her cousin very well. They had lived together for their entire life (well until recent events). As such, she could read Marie very well. That's why, as she observed her cousin, who let the silence hang for a moment, more closely she noticed several key things.

For one, her cousin looked tired. She had heavy bags under her eyes (though somewhat masked thanks to her makeup, but Callie was no fool, she did the same after all) and she seemed like she had lost some weight. Her shoulders were drooped, and her eyes looked sad. She looked like she had given up.

_I wonder what's wrong with Marie_, she thought with concern, until her brain flared and she felt a massive wave of hatred towards cousin that was almost enough to send her over.

"Uuuugh… Not again…" She groaned as she caught her head in her hands.

Meanwhile, Marie took a deep breath and continued :

"This will be my last concert. After today, I will retire. I want to thank everyone for their continued support until now, it really means the world to me. Thank you very much." She said, as she bowed.

The crowd was silent for a small while, but then it exploded into applause.

Marie smiled a little bit, then bow and turned to leave.

"… What? She's quitting? Why? She was always so happy to perform…" Callie couldn't wrap her head around what Marie said. Her puzzlement was such that even her brain couldn't catch up to her this time.

"What happened to her?" She wondered.

But in truth, she knew what happened. Or at least, she could guess. She just didn't want to realise it, didn't want to face what she knew.

Callie knew, deep down, that it was her fault her cousin was quitting. That it was her fault her cousin looked so sad. She had been very unfair and harsh on her.

She recalled the events that happened up until now.

"I know it's my fault, I know she never meant any of what she said, and yet… And yet…"

And yet, she could not stop feeling anger, hatred and jealousy towards her cousin. No matter what she knew, what she told herself, she couldn't control it.

She often felt like she couldn't control herself anymore these days.

"All because of that brainwashing…"

Callie knew all this deep down. But the brainwashing had changed her. Corrupted her. The octarians were very smart, they were much more advanced than the inklings in the domain of science, especially medical science like psychology. They had broken her down, turning her insecurities after the last splatfest against her, to better brainwash and control her. She had grown a little bit jealous of Marie's success over her in the last splatfest, and although she was still plenty successful, even though it wasn't her cousin's fault, even though she still loved her cousin… They used that against her. Her cousin's more successful career, the hurtful comments she made (even though she knew she never meant any of it, that Marie loved her just as much as she loved her) and them growing more and more apart as their solo careers took precedence over their life…

They used that all against her.

And even though she broke free of the brainwashing and hypnosis she was under, she didn't come out of it whole.

It was like she wasn't herself anymore. Her old, peppy, happy self, that always looked at life optimistically.

Now she was barely a shell of that person, that person she oh so desperately tried to become again.

Nowadays, she mostly felt bitter, angry and cynical. Emotions that weren't her own, that felt so wrong coming from her… But she couldn't help it.

It disgusted her, it scared her, but as time passed… She got used to it. She could mostly hide it under fake smiles and pleasantries from everyone else in her life but…

But never when it came to Marie.

She knew that she should love her cousin, that she *loved* her cousin, but when she thought about that… Torrents of anger and hate, of jealousy, always overcame her until she was reducing to a thrashing mess in her bedroom. She couldn't help it or control it.

In the end, that's why she chose to stay away from her cousin. She didn't like this, this feeling of not being in control, of not doing or feeling what she wants, and she wanted to spare her cousing the pain of dealing with her in that state. And who knew what she could have done had she stayed close to her ? She probably would have tried to kill her. Callie gulped at that and shook her head.

She still regretted her words right after Marie rescued her, she was still disoriented from the brainwashing and mind control at the time. And to be honest, at times she wonderde if she wasn't still under its influence even now.

Only when she sang, forever her true passion in life (and even when she was under Octavio's control, even then, she still sang and danced like her life depended on it), did she ever truly felt like herself, like she was whole again.

"But now… " She thought as she looked back at her TV screen, now Marie was in pain. She had to do something about it, despite everything. The thought was enough to sober her up enough that she could swallow past those destructive feelings (not hers, she would never consider that side of herself as *her, she refused to) and dialed Marie's number on her phone.

Marie didn't pick up.

"Huh? That's weird. Maybe she's busy ? I could see that happening after such an announcement…". Thinking quickly, she decided to call Marie's manager, who also used to be her manager until she left.

After a short while, he picked up.

"Hello, Ross Goldfish speaking. Who is it?"

"Hi Ross, it's me, Callie."

"Callie? It's been a while! How have you been?"

_Heh, chipper as always_, she thought. Ross Goldfish was an excentric man.

"I've been fine, though I'm usually really busy nowadays so it gets a bit tiring sometimes haha. It's fun though."

"Yeah, I can imagine that. So, did you need anything? I thought You and Marie were through with each other…"

" About that… Yeah. I saw her live concert. She's quitting? She seemed kind of…" Tired? Sad? Depressed? " …Upset. What's this about ?»

"Oh… Yeah. We talked about this a lot. Though, I believe it would be better if you talked with her directly. I'm not really the best suited person to tell you this."

"That's what I'm calling you for, actually. For some reason, I can't join Marie. She's not answering her phone. Is she busy with the cleanup or something?"

"No, actually. She left directly after the concert, about a few hours ago now. That's what we had agreed upon… Although…"

"Hm?"

"… I got a report about her… situation, a short while ago…" He muttered.

"?"

"Actually, you should call…Wait what was his name again? Ace? Yeah. Marie told me you guys used to be good friends. He would be more suited to tell you about this than me."

Agent 3? What did he have to do with this? "What do you mean?"

"Just call him."

"Okay, then. Guess I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Good luck… God knows you're gonna need it…" He muttered as he hung up.

As she dialed Agent 3's number and waited for him to pick up, she thought : Huh, that sounds ominous. I wonder what that « report » that he received was about ? That didn't sound like a good thing. I hope Marie is okay… She grew more and more worried as the seconds passed.

Her brain flared again at that thought, almost making her drop her phone as she clutched her head again until Agent 3's voice came through and grounded her.

"Hello? Who is it?"

"Ace! It's me, Callie!"

"Callie?! You haven't called in over a year! What's up?"

"Nothing much. I'm sorry for not calling. I had to deal with… personal things. But enough about that, do you know where Marie is? I can't get a hold of her, how is she?" Callie asked, going straight to the suject.

"Oh…" Ace sounded depressed.

"What is it? Ross told me you had news about her." She pressed.

"Yeah… I don't know how to tell you this, but…" she heard him take a deep breath "Marie's at the hospital right now." He said.

"What?! What happened?!"

"She tried to kill herself."

**Author's Note : Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story! If not, feel free to tell me why in a review (or in DMs, whichever you prefer). I'm a beginning writer that's looking to improve his craft, so really anything you might have to say, good or bad, is appreciated. Though, please be constructive with what you say, regardless of if you want to compliment or criticize this story. It would be a huge help to know what I did right or wrong. I'm still very far from "quality writing", so to speak, but I'm going to practice. I really do want to get better. So, without further ado, some explanations:**

**This story is something that just came out the top of my head. The initial premise was "What if Callie and Marie didn't make up after Hero Mode in Splatoon 2 ? What if Callie rejected Marie ? What would a "Bad" ending look like ?". It's hardly a unique idea, but as I just sat down and told myself to write something, this is what came to my mind.**

**However, as I began to write some things down, I realised a huge problem: see, I like to think I read at least most of the stories that focus on the Squid Sisters that exist out there (I'm talking on the major fanfiction sites like Ao3 or this one), and one thing that often comes back is Marie's "harsh" behavior towards Callie on the news Broadcast. So without thinking, I naturally started going down this route as well, since it's an easy explanation to make things go wrong while not adding events that are "not canon".**

**The problem with that is that, in my opinion, it doesn't actually "fit". There are multiple reasons why I think that:**

**First, Marie's "mean" behavior only ever happened in The US version. In both the European (which is the one I own) and the japanese version, it doesn't happen. Of course, I don't mean to say they're just nothing but kind to each others, Marie is still sassy and takes a few "jabs" at her cousin (like in the Boke vs Tsukkomi splatfest for instance) but it's nowhere near on the level of the US version**** if you see what I mean. It is definitely not harsh, or mean, rather it comes off mostly as something said in good fun. A fun, harmless joke.**

**I believe it is the same for the US version as well. While it is definitely a tad more intense, they did also add a few underlying comments that show that Marie definitively cares about her cousin and that what she says is all in good fun as well (like in the Naughty vs Nice splatfest, or the final one as well).**

**That is not to say it completely doesn't affect Callie (as evidenced by that same Naughty vs Nice splatfest, or in the Early Bird vs Night Owl one) but I do believe she realizes that Marie isn't serious.**

**What I'm saying is, I believe the best way to describe their relationship would be "Unconditionnal Love". They care a great deal about each other, and would never harm the other willingly. If something were to happen to one of them, the other would also be greatly affected by it. Almost as if they were bound to each other. Call it just my own interpretation, my headcanon or whatever, but that's how I see it (and what the Squid Sisters Stories lead me to believe is "true").**

**With that in mind, you can see why I don't think it fits. But I also didn't want to completely start from scratch. So I started to think up of a reason on "Why would Callie reject Marie ?". But then it came to me. I started thinking "What if Callie's brainwashing went deeper than just a simple pair of shades ?". This is how this story was born.**

**Of course, by "deeper" I mean "darker/more sinister/disturbing" haha. I'm definitely going to elaborate more on that in future chapters (yes, I do plan to update and finish this, however rocky the start may be).**

**Really, I can't help it. I'm just a sucker for Angsty and Hurt/Comfort stories and the likes, and Callie and Marie's relationship is just completely perfect for that kind of thing.**

**Anyways, thanks again for reading (and listening to my rambles lol). See you in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

Their Broken Bond

**Author's Note:**** Hello again! I'm happy to see you're sticking with this story still! I'm sorry this chapter took a while to come, it was unexpectedly hard to write. Also, I wanna thank the few people that reviewed this. It does mean a lot for sure. So here we go :**

**JRedd7272 Duly noted. I write my story on a word document before porting it on here, so that's where this punctuation came from. I would never have thought that people would notice haha. Thanks!  
**  
**RisingPhoenix56 Thanks! It's not a callout, people can write what they want haha. It just makes me so sad to see so few of them. What is there not to like about the one and only Squid Sisters, am I right ? Although, if it does get you to write more stuff on them... Haha, I'm just kidding. I really like your works by the way.  
**  
**Guest (whoever you might be...) You're right. I will go back and edit the first chapter later address this, but I just want to get a few chapters in before doing that. Can't go around doing too many things at once. I also don't want to just keep repeating things along the lines of "she said" every time. I tried to make it less confusing this time around, tell me if it turns out better? I may try a few different things in other chapters and once I know for sure what works best I'll go back and edit the first one. Thanks for reviewing!  
**  
**Again, I'm going to include another AN at the end of this fic to explain some things (I'm probably going to do this every chapter, I just really enjoy giving my perpective and explaining my reasoning/decisions on why and how I do things. And if it can spark some debate about the game, all the better! I like talking about it).**

**With all that said, here's the chapter.**

"Next station : Inkopolis Square. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform". _Here I am_, Calllie thought as the train came to a stop.

It was a beautiful day. The sun, resting in a clear, blue sky, showered the streets of Inkopolis in its shine. A gentle spring breeze was flowing by, lazily swaying the trees on its way. All in all, it was the perfect day to go out.

Callie walked through the streets of Inkopolis Square. Even though it was only around 10 AM, they were already bustling with activity, with inklings left and right going on about their daily life, the mix and match splashing the grey pavements in a vast array of colors.  
She took in her surroundings. A massive skyscraper stood in the far end of the place, blasting loud music out in the streets. She could see several groups of inklings chatting excitedly with one another near the tower, with some entering it and others leaving. A variety of stores made up the left part of the square, ranging from clothing stores that sold shoes all the way up to headwears, to a store that sold weapons most likely for turf wars. As she got a closer look at it, though, she gasped. _Ammo Knights? So Sheldon opened up a branch store here? I guess I shouldn't be surprised._ Although the lineup did remind her of the Booyah Base back in the Plaza. It was a melancholic thought. _I've been gone for a long while now… _After what happened, she had cut off all contacts with Inkopolis and had moved away to another town. An odd, airy feeling suddenly overcame her. She felt something was amiss. _Wait, shouldn't I already know about this?_ But try as she might, she couldn't grasp on to this feeling. It bothered her. Regardless though, she continued on. On the opposite side, there was an arcade center. A few brave inklings could even be seen showing off their skills on a dancing game arcade outside the building.

And right next to it, there was the News Broadcast Studio.

_This takes me back_, she thought, _back to when Marie and I used to do the news in the Plaza… Life used to be so much simpler back then… It was just us, having fun while living our dream…_ She shook her head. Not now.

_So this is Inkopolis Square. I gotta say, it definitely holds up to its « newest hot spot for inklings » title. It's almost a shame I missed out on it for this long. _Of course, she couldn't just be out in the streets without it causing a massive uproar. Thus, she went out with a disguise. She was wearing a long, purple cardigan with a simple white T-shrit underneath, along with a black short and a pair of black bukcled knit boots. She wore a pair of black tinted shades that covered most of her face, and a purple knitted cap with a golden star pinned on its right side in which she hid her long tentacles. All in all, she was sporting her trademark Agent 1 disguise.  
She had missed this outfit. For a long while, she had been unable to wear a pair of sunglasses. It would always remind her of her time in octarian captivity. Just the sight of one used to be enough to give her a panic attack. She had broken down on scene, once, when she was supposed to wear one for her role in a movie. After that particular event, she tried her hardest and eventually got it under control and was finally able to wear shades again.

She had dealt with this alone, just like she always did.

Her thoughts moved back to her reason for being here in the first place.

…

* * *

_"She tried to kill herself"._

_It took a while for Callie to register those words. She stared dumbfounded at her wall. Marie tried to kill herself? This had to be a joke, right? Instantly, she recalled every moment she spent with Marie. Ever as little babies, they had been unseparable. -"I found her in her in"- After all, both their families were very close to each others, and Marie was born barely a week after her. They were basically raised as sisters. They spent their entire childhood, all the way up to adulthood, together, going to the same school, doing the same activities… -"so I took her there"- Even as they decided to leave their town, family and friends behind to follow their dream and moved to Inkopolis as the Squid Sisters, Marie was still with her. -"Hey are you listening to"- Marie was the person she was the closest to, and even after Gramps had recruited them (well, he had recruited her, and she had recruited Marie), she never considered the thought of Marie dying. She wondered if she could live in a world where Marie was dead. The answer was a clear, resounding no. That's why she distanced herself from Marie in the first place._

_"Hey! Callie! Are you still there?" Ace's loud voice finally registered in her brain as she tuned back in to her surroudings._

_"Is Marie alright? What happened? Where is she?!" She frantically asked him. She heard Ace sigh on the other end._

_"As I was saying, yes, she's fine. I managed to find her and get her to a hopsital in the square in time. As for what happened, welI… After that announcement she made, I was kinda worried about her. Usually, I wait for her backstage while she's performing until she comes back to get her stuff and all. But this time she didn't. I decided should go and check her apartment or something. She didn't answer when I knocked on the door, but since she didn't lock up behind her I just went in. I found her in her living room, down on the ground, unconscious. Even more worrying was… Well… When i took her to the hospital, the doctors said she fainted because she overdosed on medication, but what I noticed back in the apartment was… The knife. And the ink. I took her to the hospital as fast as I could after that" Ace slowly explained, his voice growing more and more tired as he went on. "Right now she's sleeping. The doctors say she should be fine to go in a few days, although they said they will appoint her therapy sessions"._

_Oh Cod… "What's the address of that hospital? I'm coming to see her". Ace sighed again._

_"Alright, just meet me at…" Ace stopped for a short while "The Crust Bucket. You'll easily notice it when you get to the Square. It's basically a yellow food truck. How long will it take you to come?" He then asked._

_"I should be here by tomorrow morning."_

_"Okay then, meet me there at 11 AM. That's when visiting hours start. See you." He then hang up._

* * *

...

She sighed as she recalled the events. _Am i really ready to face Marie? I don't know if I can control myself… _In fact, the fact she hadn't already lost control and basically told Ace off surprised her. _Well, since I'm here there's no going back now. For better or for worse…  
_  
She made sure to arrive early so she would have plenty of time to spot their meetup place. _Let's see, a yellow truck… _She spotted it in the distance._ Ah, there it is_. She noticed a long queue of Inklings waiting in line. She raised an eyebrow_. Woah, are they waiting for their turn? That looks a little excessive… _However, as she got closer, she understood why as a delicious smell reached her nose that made her mouth water. _This smells good! I wonder if I can get Agent 3 to treat me…_ _Wait, is that… Crusty Sean?! He's the one managing this food truck?_

Crusty Sean had been one of she and Marie's first friends after they moved to Inkopolis, and had helped them settling and adjusting to the city life. He had been a very close friends to them since. _I didn't know he quit Shrimp Kicks_. This odd feeling came back, like fog slowly clouding her thoughts.

Something was wrong. _What is this? This is the second time it happens. It can't be a coincidence… _Contrary to what most inklings might have thought, Callie was much sharper than what she was given credit for. As such, she realized the common element between those two events immediatly. It happened directly after she _recalled_ past events : in other words, it was her memories. Her head was pounding. She sat down at a table nearby. _No, this can't be happening. _She held her head with her hands. How far had the octarians gone? How much did they mess with her? _What did they do to me?!_ She recognised the begginings of a panic attack settling in and took deep breaths _Okay Callie, deep breaths… Breathe in.. Breathe out… In, out_. She didn't want to be here any longer.

Going to see Marie was a bad idea in the end, and she hadn't seen Marie, or even Ace, yet. She had no reason to be here, she was fine _-But Marie isn't-_ before coming here. She had dealt with enough problems as of late _-and she caused many more-_ she didn't need another one on top of this. Ace isn't here yet, she could still bail _-stop running away-_ and never look back. Besides, it didn't matter to her whatever happened to th- _NO!_ She slammed her hands on the table, breathing heavily. Several inklings stopped and stared at her.

"Errrm…" She heard a voice behind her. Callie whirled around and saw the person who adressed her walking towards her, her wild gaze gone unnoticed behind her sunglasses.

It was Agent 3.

Ace Squiffin, Also known as Agent 3, was a relatively tall inkling, with bright yellow tentacles tied together in a ponytail reaching just above his neck. He was dressed in a red and black checked shirt and a plain black short with red Hi-tops. Even though He held himself in a relaxed and casual way, his gait betrayed his training and alertness to his surroundings. His deep blue eyes showed signs of maturity, different from the childish wonder she remembered them having. All in all, He had matured into a fine young man.

_Right, I almost forgot… Agent 3 should be eighteen by now. Heh, he sure has grown from the naive greenhorn gramps recruited in those 4 years._

Ace fixed Callie with a long stare, his eyebrows slightly raised. Completely ignoring what just happened, instead she decided to break the silence that hung over them. Her face broke into a large grin.

"Ace! It's good to see you! It sure has been a while! Look at how you've grown! Man, I remember, You used to be so small back then too…" She lightly teased him, her grin growing larger when she noticed his confused expression. Her sudden change in attitude had succeeded in catching him off-guard, it seemed.

Moving past the initial surprise, he then replied in stride "Hey. It sure has been. It's good to see you too, One." _So he noticed my outfit and caught on_, she thought with a small smile. "I may have grown, but you sure haven't changed much since last time."

"Whaaat? You're not looking hard enough! Don't you see? I'm like, wayyy older and stuff. I'm totally more mature, right?" She struck an exagerated pose to demonstrate her claim.

He chose not to comment on it, and though he had a small smile on his face, she could see something flash in his eyes for a second before it disappeared. Instead, he asked her :

"Say, you hungry? Let's grab something to eat, my treat. After all, you probably don't have a ticket." after a small pause, he added "I know you're hungry." with a smile, teasing her back.  
She put her hand behind her head, sheepish "Haha, you got me there. What can I say? This place just smells delicious." He had already turned around towards the truck. He had phrased this as a question, but she detected the steel lacing it. He wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I know, right? Just take a seat and wait for me, I'll be back with food." With that, he added himself to the already long queue of inklings.

Callie decided to go sit at a table further away. She knew what was coming up next. As she did so, she dropped her happy attitude and used the time to reflect over what happened. _Ace sure has become quite good at this kind of stuff. _She could easily recognize a warning when she heard one._ So Gramps' taught him interrogation tactics, huh. He saw through me instantly_. He had caught on to her act and played along. It was a test, both trying to get a read on each others. He had made sure to give nothing away, however._ A nice little Agent. _

Seeing Ace in person gave her mixed feelings. There was a part of her that was geniuinely happy to see him, but… She had to fight back her resentment from showing, to keep it at bay. She remembered subtle insults and mockeries. Callie could feel another headache building up. _Ugh… Seriously, this has been happening way too much. Maybe I should consider bringing pain medication next time…_  
On this note, she remembered her almost-breakdown earlier. Ace really caught her at a bad time. She calmly went over what she had gathered. There was a problem with her memories, and it involved both Sheldon and Crusty Sean so far. She doubted it stopped there though, but she couldn't say. _Maybe I should have went with Ace, I need to ask Sean some questions and beside, I really want to see him again._ But she also didn't want to cause (another) scene right now- Wait.  
She went over that again. She wanted to see Crusty Sean again. As in, she didn't feel conflicted over this like she usually did_. I want to see him again! _This was huge! She almost jumped from her seat in excitement. That was it! A connection with her old life she had been longing for! She did wonder why she was fine with Sean especially, though. _Maybe because he's not an inkling?_ But that didn't explain why she didn't also feel normal towards, say, Sheldon. _Maybe the octarians didn't know that I knew him? _Although they were close, they weren't seen hanging with each others too often.  
Regardless, she had something now. Coming to Inkopolis Square wasn't so bad an idea, after all. She definitely _needed_ to see him now. It would have to wait until later, though. There were still too many inklings around, and she had to see Marie before. But she could see him after all that. Maybe she still had his shellphone number?

She noticed Ace coming back and sit in front of her, laying 2 identical over-the-top snacks on the table. It consisted of three layers of waffles stacked on top of each others, with ice cream in between each waffle and two fried shrimps resting at the top of the treat. The whole thing was also covered in chocolate sauce. Callie drooled. _Man, this thing is huuge! I can't wait to dig in…_

"Here you go, a triple fried galactic schwaffle." He told her. "Don't be shy." She didn't need to be told twice.

"Aw, thanks Ace!" Callie then proceeded to devour her food, while Ace ate at a more leisurely pace. It wasn't until they were done eating that one of them spoke next.

"That thing was delicious! Sean's definitely gotta tell me how he made these. Maybe I can get him to open up a shop closer to town…" She sighed contently.

"Don't bother, I already tried asking him. It's a trade secret, or so he says. Though, he is trying to expand his business to other places apparebtly. I heard from Pearl he opened up a shop in Wahoo World." Ace remarked. "But enough about that." He sighed and dropped his laidback attitude, adopting a more serious one and looked at Callie straight in the eyes. As she was about to say something, however, he interrupted her.

"You can drop the act now, you and I both know I can see right through it. I don't have the patience for these games right now."

She slowly lost her smile and carefully set her face in a neutral expression. _Well, I knew this was coming eventually._ After a moment, Ace broke the tense silence that had installed itself over them with an exasperated sigh.

"Look," he started, dropping his voice low so that people wouldn't hear them, "Marie told me what happened while the Cap'n and I were out. About the squidnapping, Octo Canyon and all." She kept silent, waiting for him to continue. "And, I can imagine you had your own problems to deal with after all this. But these have been 2 very draining years. Marie hasn't been herself ever since you left. When we came back from our mission, it was already too late. No matter what I or the Cap'n tried, we couldn't help her."  
_It is your fault she is like this_. He didn't outright say it, but she heard the accusation in his voice all the same. Self-loathing clawed at her, but she refused to acknowledge it. Focusing on that now wouldn't be of any use. "What I'm trying to say is," he continued, "Why did you leave back then? Why are you here now? What do you want, Callie? I just want to know."

It was on the tip of her tongue. She definitely owed everyone an explanation. She could tell him how the octarians had changed her. How she couldn't even control herself anymore, how she was scared of herself and her thoughts. She could tell him how much she hated her life for the past 2 years, how she desperately wanted, l_onged _for things to return back to the way there were before, for her to return to her old self, to forget those 2 years even happened. She could tell him all this, but her throat refused to work. _Why can't I tell him?!_ Instead, she felt the now familiar emotions resurface. She was horrified. _Oh no_, _I'm losing myself. Now of all time too..._ She only managed to get one thing out :

"Those are my own problems to deal with. I don't want to talk about it. Can we go see Marie now?" Callie internally screamed. She hadn't even meant to sound this hostile and confrontational. _This is bad._ Ace raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Fat chances on that. I think we're due at least some kind of explanations, don't you think?" He replied calmly, challenging her. Callie was agitated. _Come on, don't be a hardass now of all times_.

"No, I don't. If I say I don't want to talk about it, then I won't. Do you see me bothering you with questions on your personal life, Ace?" Things were going downhill very quickly. She struggled to regain a hold on herself.

"Maybe I would, if my personal life was the reason behind your problems. But I don't think I'm to blame for that." He countered, referencing Marie's situation. However, Callie suddenly exploded.

"YES YOU ARE!" She yelled, standing up abruptly, glaring at him and catching Ace off-guard again. Her body was vibrating with unrestrained anger. After this outburst, though, she felt drained, although it did allow her to regain her self-control. She fell back down on her chair and caught her head in her hands. Right now, she just wanted to cry_. I'm so done with these mood swings. I feel like a coddamn lunatic._

"Callie…" She heard Ace softly call to her, but she stopped him.

"Can we just go see Marie now? Just… Please. I can't let her throw away her life like this." Ace contemplated her for a long moment, before finally relenting.

"Alright, yeah. Let's go see her." He stood up and motionned for her to do so as well, which she did. She was grateful that he didn't mention her outburst just now. But at last, she was finally going to see Marie.

Callie just hoped it didn't go as poorly as her encounter with Ace.

**Author's Note : And that's chapter 2! Poor Callie, she isn't doing too hot :c Anyways, hope you liked it. Now for my favorite part (lol) : Here's my ramble!  
****So, as I said in the beginning, this chapter was much harder to write than I expected. I couldn't settle on the way I wanted it to go. I had many different ideas, and anytime I would imagine this chapter I would do things differently. Should it start right after chapter 1 left off? Or should it start directly in Inkopolis? Or maybe directly with Marie? etc etc... That kind of conflicting ideas. **

**In the end, I probably imagined like 15-20 different versions for this chapter before settling with that. That's why it took me so long really, I couldn't decide. This lasted for about a week, until I just told myself "Hey, just sit down, write something and see where this goes". That's how I got this chapter.**

**I used Callie's first time in the square as a chance to try my hand at descriptions. I'm not sure if I did a good enough job at it to be honest, that thing is hard. Also, writing characters is hard too (well you can say writing in general is hard lol). However, I definitely like this chapter more than the previous one. I think this one feels more complete. Whenever I re-read Chapter 1 I always feel like it lacks some things. **

**While writing this chapter, I got an interesting idea for this story though. Fortunately, even though I didn't think about that when I wrote chapter 1, the beginning was written in a way that allowed this idea to happen. Maybe you guys can figure it out? I'm not gonna spoil, though I did give a little hint. I don't think it's anything super hard to figure out or groundreaking, but I do like it regardless.**

**On the topic of characters, I think Agent 3 may come off as a little too harsh? I tried to tone it down a little, and it's not like he hates Callie now, but he definitely holds her responsible. There's going to be more to it, though. Maybe I'll do a chapter from Ace's POV? What do you think?**

**Also, Agent 4 should be coming soon. I'm not sure if it's gonna be in the next chapter or not, but Agent 4 definitely has a role in this story. By the way, a funny thing about Agent 4 (not particularly related to this story) is, that according to Marie, Agent 4 is 2 years older than Agent 3, which would make him 18 in Splatoon 2's story (since Agent 3 would be 16 by then). This is inconsistent with what the director said in an interview, which more or less implied that Agent 4 was 14, belonging to a "new wave" of inklings (compared to splatoon 1's). Funnily enough, Maire supposedly doesn't mention Agent 4's age in the japanese version. I wonder which one I'll go with...**

**But anyways, what do you guys think? As I said in the previous chapter, I'm definitely open to any kind of criticism you guys can think of (for as long as it's not just something like "hey ur bad lol"). See you next chapter, and stay fresh!**


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